Catherine Zeta-Jones takes on the iconic role of Morticia Adams in the Netflix series on Wednesday and was adamant she would do it justice.
Wednesday debuts on Netflix this week, and alongside Jenna Ortega’s new iteration of the title character, the series will also feature Catherine Zeta Jones stepping into Morticia’s black dress. When it comes to playing the Addams Family matriarch, Zeta-Jones wanted to make sure she brought more to her performance than just being a caricature of previous iterations.
Morticia Addams is Wednesday’s mother and has most notably been portrayed onscreen by Anjelica Huston in The Addams family and Addam’s family values. While it’s certainly some major heels to fill, Zeta-Jones certainly has the credentials to make the character her own. She recently explained TV times that she wanted to approach the character a little differently. She said:
“Morticia is such an iconic female figure, but I put my own spin on it. I didn’t want to play her as a caricature in a Halloween costume; I wanted to find the origin of her, which is that she is a mother of two and deeply in love with her husband. We didn’t just want to put Morticia in pants to make her contemporary; we wanted to do the iconic look. So when I first put on the dress, hair and makeup, I was so into it that I could have been Morticia at a gas station!”
Will Wednesday Please Addams Family Fans?
There’s always a bit of uncertainty surrounding the reboot of a popular franchise, and with the nostalgic appeal of ’90s movies still lingering, a new live-action reimagining of the Addams Family in any form is bound to draw many comparisons. to get. However, Zeta-Jones believes there’s plenty in the series for long-term fans. She continued:
“You’re going to love this series because it brought the story into the 21st century and the family deals with all these issues that are relevant today. I also can’t imagine how excited fans are to have a director like Tim Burton bring them the next installment of Addams Family adventures.”
Wednesday seems to be a perfect storm of a great cast, an iconic director and a new story centered around the familiar characters that everyone had come to love over the years. The Netflix series is already getting positive reviews, especially for lead star Jenna Ortega, who seems like the ideal person to bring to life a brand new version of the dour Addams Family daughter.
While comparisons to Christina Ricci’s iconic take on the role are bound to be made, Ricci previously gave her blessing to Ortega taking on the role. She said:
“It is super fun. I loved working with Tim [Burton]. I worked with Gwendolyn Christie, it was great. And Jenna is incredible. I saw some of the wardrobe photos before I went [to set] so i knew [what she looked like in character] and I was like, it’s such a great modern take on Wednesday. It is tonally so true to the heart and soul of [the original]but then it’s incredibly modern and it’s great.”
Wednesday arrives on Netflix on November 23.